Polishing a SW slide?

[cyberlogicx]

Hey guys, I have a SW99 (my very first gun) and I recently scratched the slide. Not deep, just enough to mar the finish. It got me thinking that It would look good in two-tone and I think I want to polish the slide, or at least some of it for a really nifty/unique two-tone look. I read that using a dremel with the buffing wheel is the way to go, and some people seem to go with really fine grit paper and wet sand it. Any ideas? I was thinking of just doing the lower portion of the slide, where the ridges and the and the logos are, and leaving the rest of the slide black.

 

[appraiser]

depends on the finish you are looking for.

You can go with the brushed look, by straight line sanding on a large piece of sandpaper..1000 grit... but it is easier done with a belt sander to tell you the truth

polished.. 600 1000 1500 2000 then 2500 wet/dry paper followed by a liberal amount of elbow grease and metal polish to make it shine. Mask off anything you don't want polished with masking tape.

 

[cyberlogicx]

A belt sander would work, since where I want to polish is a flat edge. I guess just don't press hard so I don't grind it down?

 

[vellnueve]

Using a belt sander on a handgun slide screams bad news to me.

 

[meth0d]

Using a belt sander on a handgun slide screams bad news to me.

+1

Start with sanding by hand, and MAYBE go to a dremel if you're not satisfied.

 

[fbirdquik6]

a bench grinder with a wire wheel is what you need for the brushed look. You may also want to try some brake cleaner on the slide to help remove some of the coating and expidite the process.

 

[appraiser]

if you have ever been to a polishing shop that does stainless, you'll see that they use a belt sander to get the long straight brushed look.

can someone explain the difference between holding a slide up against a belt sander for 15 seconds vs hand sanding with a block and hoping the lines come out nice and straight every time you sweep the material with the sandpaper?

P.S. one of the best finishing shops I know is in Somerville T.O.C. finishing

years ago they were a plating/polishing company but EPA regs forced them out of the plating business.

When I worked as an engineer in a SS fab shop, anything that had to have a surface treatment such as a SS sink went to TOC and I assure you they do fantastic work

http://www.tocfinishing.com/tocservices.html

 

[meth0d]

if you have ever been to a polishing shop that does stainless, you'll see that they use a belt sander to get the long straight brushed look.

can someone explain the difference between holding a slide up against a belt sander for 15 seconds vs hand sanding with a block and hoping the lines come out nice and straight every time you sweep the material with the sandpaper?

I would rather sand it by hand as I'd have more control over the speed at which the sanding is being done, and the amount of pressure applied. Also, I don't have much experience working with a belt sander, so it's a comfort level thing for me too. YMMV.

 

[vellnueve]

+1. Hand sanding will give you more control and probably a better overall outcome. Steel wool may also be an option.

If you want it to look real good, have it professionally done.

 

[cyberlogicx]

+1. Hand sanding will give you more control and probably a better overall outcome. Steel wool may also be an option.

If you want it to look real good, have it professionally done.

Ok, hand sanding it is. I'm a professional at a lot of things, and practice is the only way to get good.

 

[cyberlogicx]

Its hard to take a picture of! It either has too much glare, or looks all weird!

 

[vellnueve]

Take the picture from an angle.

 

[cyberlogicx]

Came out much better! Woo!

 

[meth0d]

Very nice!! Are you going to do the little bit that's in front of the front serrations? Just to carry the line all the way across, ya know what I mean?

 

[Chrisg67]

that looks great.

i like the front part in front of the serrations black, since it is "lower" then the silver parts

 

[matt]

if you have ever been to a polishing shop that does stainless, you'll see that they use a belt sander to get the long straight brushed look.

can someone explain the difference between holding a slide up against a belt sander for 15 seconds vs hand sanding with a block and hoping the lines come out nice and straight every time you sweep the material with the sandpaper?

P.S. one of the best finishing shops I know is in Somerville T.O.C. finishing

years ago they were a plating/polishing company but EPA regs forced them out of the plating business.

When I worked as an engineer in a SS fab shop, anything that had to have a surface treatment such as a SS sink went to TOC and I assure you they do fantastic work

Because in 15 seconds an untrained hand can gouge into a slide. Re-graining by hand my be slow, but at least it is recoverable.

 

[cyberlogicx]

Very nice!! Are you going to do the little bit that's in front of the front serrations? Just to carry the line all the way across, ya know what I mean?

Nah, I like it where it is. I did do. As chris said, the serrated part is extruded slightly so it adds some real dimension to the slide. It looks and feels really nice, and took me forever! I used 1000 grit wet/dry sandpaper and put it on a flat block of polished steel so I had a nice solid surface, and just slid the slide back and forth in one direction. It was amazing how much marking there was from the machining of the slide originally.

It was a lot of work, but I think it was totally worth it! Plus, it was an excuse to find out how to detail strip the slide and clean the hell out of it. That has to be the easiest gun in the world to work on!